21 Speeches that Shaped our World

21 Speeches that Shaped our World, by Chris Abbott, Rider, RRP£14.99, 336 pages

The rhetorical brilliance of Barack Obama initiated a renewed interest in speech making, and Chris Abbott has made an interesting selection of speeches that he argues have “changed the way we think”.

The speeches are grouped thematically in four sections, with “idealists” and “realists” together, which leads to interesting juxtapositions and continuities. Enoch Powell follows Martin Luther King, while George W. Bush in declaring that, “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” echoes Ronald Reagan’s cold war stance.

Throughout, Abbott provides a thorough historical context and argues convincingly for the continuing relevance of the ideas expressed. History has been kinder to some speakers than others: Solzhenitsyn’s critique of the west now looks prescient, while the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan makes it hard to read Blair’s “Doctrine of the International Community” without grimacing.